The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of vending and storage and more specifically relates to a Vend-A-Shu system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people live in residences in modern society. Housing may be limited and expensive. Those who reside in small, compact living spaces, such as dorm rooms, studio apartments, and mobile homes, readily attest that the main advantage of less space is that there is less area to clean. However, it also has its downside when it comes to decorating and especially storage. Studio apartments and college dorms pose a particular problem due to the fact that all household functions may be limited to one room (i.e., eating, entertaining, sleeping, and studying). When working with any compact living area, many consumers incorporate multifunctional furnishings to optimize usable space. Yet, there is little one can do to increase the amount of space available for clothing and sundry personal items. As such, small closets tend to be filled with hanging clothes as well as foldable garments and other items for which there is no room to display.
This problem is particularly exacerbated when one owns multiple pairs of shoes. From stylish pumps and flats to compliment evening wear and casual sandals and flip flops for recreation, to steel-toed boots for work and specialized sneakers for workout routines, it is not uncommon for one individual to own several pairs of each variety. As such, these consumers have no choice but to line floor space with shoes, or to pile them one pair on top of the other in cramped closets and drawers. As a result, one is either tripping over shoes or digging through stacks of footwear to find the pair needed. Frustrating and time consuming, the travails of shoe storage and organization typically leave consumers exhausted and annoyed before they are able to don the chosen shoes. This is not desirable.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,567,615 to Sheila O. Rainey; U.S. Design Pat. No. D580,172 to Jose A. Perez; and U.S. Design Pat. No. D584,053 to Frederick Abdo et al. This art is representative of vending and storage means for shoes. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a Vend-A-Shu system (footwear vending system) should provide efficient and convenient vending of footwear and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable footwear vending system to avoid the above-mentioned problems.